FCD coach Craig Dawson said Lewis is improving and getting stronger, but the coach believes the recruiting interest is picking up because Lewis is playing so well this spring in club tournaments and was outstanding in Dave Telep's Carolina Challenge.

"I think he is getting out there more," Dawson said.

Lewis plays club ball with Team Loaded. Lewis scored 31 points in the club team's recent victory over the highly ranked CP3 All-Stars.

Lewis averaged 20 points, 8.6 assists, 3.4 rebounds and 1.8 steals last season at Forsyth Country Day. He made 57 percent of his shots from the field.

"He has a lot of options," Dawson said. "It is good to have a plethora of offers."

Saturday, April 24, 2010

Tashawn Mabry, the career basketball scoring leader at Rocky Mount High, expects to make his college commitment this week.

He is expected to pick from among N.C. State, Providence, Connecticut, UNC Wilmington, Western Kentucky and Rhode Island.

Mabry said State had offered him a scholarship and had been recruiting him since his freshman year. Last Thursday he went to campus and talked with players and coaches.

"I'll make my final decision next week," he said Friday.

Mabry is a 6-foot-6 forward who led Rocky Mount to the NCHSAA 3-A championship. He was the most valuable player in the championship game, an 84-79 victory over Concord. He had 26 points and 10 rebounds in the win.

He averaged 24.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, 4.5 blocks, 1.5 steals and 1.4 assists. He finished his career with 2,411 points, passing former Gryphons point guard Phil Ford to become the school's all-time scorer.

Mabry said he talked regularly with Raleigh Word of God's C.J. Leslie, a McDonald's All American who also is considering N.C. State.

"C.J. is my boy," Mabry said. "We talked about what a great class it would be if we both decided to go there with Ryan Harrow and Lorenzo Brown, but both of us need to make the best decision for ourselves and our families."

Mabry said his decision would come down to where he thought he could get the best education and where he could develop his basketball abilities the most.

"He is much stronger than he was at the start of last season," Price said. "He can get to the basket much better. We've still got to work on his ball handling and some other things, but he is working hard and getting better."

The 6-5 junior guard has exceptional range on his jumper and is ranked No. 19 by Scout.com in the Class of 2011.

Kentucky already has the makings of an exceptional men's basketball recruiting class in 2011.

The Wildcats have commitments from Michael Gilchrist, a 6-6 forward from Elizabeth (N.J.) St. Patrick, and from Marquis Teague, a 6-1 point guard at Indianapolis Pike.

Gilchrist is the top-ranked junior in the country and Teague is ranked No. 5 by Scout.com.

North Carolina has a commitment from No. 2-ranked James McAdoo, a 6-8 forward at Norfolk (Va.) Christian, and Duke has a commitment from No. 14-ranked Michael Gbinije, a 6-6 forward at Richmond Benedictine.

None of the commitments are binding on the schools or the players. The players can sign scholarships in the fall.

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About this blog

Ken Tysiac has covered the ACC in the Raleigh Bureau of The Charlotte Observer since 2003. He spent eight years in South Carolina covering Clemson, first with the Anderson Independent-Mail and later with The (Columbia) State. He graduated from Notre Dame in 1991.